The Contemporary Museum's 20th anniversary celebration continues with "At 20: Docents' Choice" featuring eight masterworks selected by eight docents from the museum's first docent training class in 1988. Docents are museum volunteers who undergo a rigorous art education program and then conduct public tours of the museum.

Artists featured include David Bates, Salomon Heurta, Nathan Oliveira, Thomas Woodruff, William Wiley, Robert Graham and Richard Tuttle. Each docent wrote a label for their choice explaining why they selected the artwork for display.

"At 20: Docents' Choice" runs through Feb. 22. The Contemporary Museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays at 2411 Makiki Heights Drive in Honolulu. 536-1322, www.tcmhi.org.

WAIKIKI

SHERATON GUESTS INVITED TO FROLIC AT $8M HELUMOA PLAYGROUND

The Sheraton Waikiki hotel's new superpool, the Helumoa Playground, has opened on Waikiki Beach between the Sheraton and The Royal Hawaiian (set to reopen this month) as part of Sheraton's hotel-wide upgrade.

What was once a grassy, outdoor area is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for guests of both properties.

The Playground features two freshwater swimming pools, a 70-foot-long water slide, a stage, whirlpools, a fountain, food and beverage options, cabanas and a pool hut. Guests also can join in lei making, water slide races, hula lessons, storytelling and star-gazing.

The Playground sits on a historic area called Helumoa, where King Kakuhihewa is said to have planted 10,000 coconut palms in the 16th century. Many of these trees' descendants survive in modern-day Waikiki.

The Playground was designed by local architects Rob Iopa and Wayne Goo of WCIT Architecture; price tag: $8 million.

WORLDWIDE

POPULARITY OF HOSTELS GROW, WITH BOOKINGS UP 20 PERCENT

Hostel bookings by North Americans increased 20 percent in 2008 on Hostelworld.com, the Web site reported. "Many hostels offer private rooms, suites, pools and free Internet, bars and restaurants, as well as a unique social experience unmatched by hotels," said Hostelworld.com spokesperson Aisling White. "These benefits can be found even in budget accommodations and not just in Europe."

Some hostels also offer inexpensive meals and most have kitchens that guests can use to cook their own food, and others even have swimming pools and hot tubs. Hostels also offer plenty of unusual accommodations, from lodging in treehouses to castles to former prisons.

— Associated Press